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Result and details of the League 1 Ontario game of Saturday May 6, 2017 between
Vaughan Azzurri and Toronto Skillz played at McNaughton Turf in Maple at 4:00pm.

Vaughan Azzurri (white socks and shirts, red shorts, navy numbers)

......................1 Daniel Gosciniak
8 Devante Walker...5 Brandon John...6 Shiquan Lowe...2 Jarred Phillips
9 Jarek Whiteman (cpt)...4 Christopher Mannella...11 Brandon Mills...10 Jason Mills...7 Jahsua Mills
.....................25 Mario Kovacevic

Subs:...12 Andrew D'Souza (gk)...3 Joseph Amato...13 Dante Pavan...14 Dena Iezady
...15 Donavan Wilson...16 Benjamin Futoriansky...23 Tre Crosby
team officials:...head coach Carmine Isacco...other officials...Patrice Gheisar,
Wayne Mills, Esteban Clavijo, Tony De Palma, and Jonathan Lao

Toronto Skillz (red socks and shirts, black shorts, white numbers)

.......................0 Lucas Birnstingl
..........5 Frantz Bill...9 Julian Edwards (cpt)...22 Ayoub Saoucha
2 Alejandro Rivas...11 Mario Ramhalho...8 Terence Bernard...10 Roen Fordyce-Hlywka...19 hakeem Lewis
..................14 Alex Dimitriu...18 Liam Cox

Subs:...1 Spiro Koskinas (gk)...7 Chihiro Noda...12 Nicholas Goddard...13 Gage Angelo
...16 Mitchell Wong...23 Thanujan Jeyathilaka
team officials:...head coaches Jake Doodnath and Leslie Kirkpatrick...manager Douglas Angela
...theapists Brian Mak and Deidra Erd

Game officials:...referee Scott Bowman...referee's assistants Fabrizio Stasolla and Farzan Mirzazadeh
...fourth official Derrick Farwell...(all black uniforms)

1st Half:...starts 2:58pm...VA defends north end on this very cold and overcast day with a drizzle falling.
3 min...TS Saoucha run up left cuts to middle in but 20 yard shot blocked.
5 min...VA Phillips rolls ball foward to VA Whiteman on right end line and Whiteman rolls from 12 yards that
goalie picks up.
6 min...VA Mario Kovacevic GOAL...VA Jason Mills rolls ball forward from 15 yards
in middle and Kovacevic has tap-in into center of net.
9 min...VA Jahsua Mills and Mannella work out short cornerkick from right and eventually ball is crossed
in from 25 yards over players in box but charging VA John heads from 10 yards on left wide right of net.
13 min...TS Dimitru 35 yard freekick has VA John flick header at 10 yards behind end line to prevent
charging TS player connecting.
14 min...TS Dimitru cornerkick from right is over players in box and cleared.
15 min...TS player on right rolls 25 yarder to goalie despite three TS players in middle.
16 min...VA Brandon Mills blasts 30 yarder from left wide left.
19 min...VA Mannella 33 yard freekick from left sideline has VA Whiteman leap and midair kick
from 10 yards down middle is saved.
23 min...TS Saoucha rolls 18 yard shot from left to goalie rather than calls to pass.
24 min...TS Dimitru 40 yard freekick from right is caught by leaping goalie.
25 min...TS Dimitru has 15 yard blast blocked by goalie.
26 min...TS Saoucha cross from left end on line has goalie beat TS 18 to catch at 4 yards in center of box.
30 min...Skillz Liam Cox GOAL...VA defender is stripped of the ball at 22 yards
by TS Mario Ramalno who taps pass to Cox who pokes 8 yard shot forward into right side of net.
32 min...VA Jason Mills low cross from 25 yards on left has VA Whiteman shoot 20 yard roller to goalie.
34 min...TS Saoucha is injured at VA 40 yard line but it's TS players who play on. TS Saoucha needs trainer.
40 min...VA Kovacevic cornerkick from right is taken quickly and short but wasted.
42 min...VA Brandon Mills long chip from 65 yards on left has goalie top of box to catch.
42 min...VA Jarek Whiteman GOAL...VA Devante Walker rushes down right wing and
crosses from 25 yards near end line. Whiteman charges forward to leap over defender
and head ball from 10 yards that deflects in off underside of bar into net.
43 min...TS Fordyce-Hlywka 20 yard shot is wide left.
45 min...VA YELLOW card...Walker earns it for argueing with TS player.
46 min...Skillz Mario Ramalno GOAL...Ramalno and another Skillz player
strip VA goalie Daniel Gosciniak of ball and Ramalno chips 8 yarder into empty net.
48 min...half ends 3:45pm.

Halftime entertainment: The DJ as his first song plays an 'oldie' with Rihanna's
2007 hit 'Umbrella' with the Jay-Z opening rap. Very appropriate for the weather today.
An exhibition game with the Vaughan 2005 Boys is held.

2nd Half:...starts 4:00pm...the wind is still from the north with the drizzle continueing and falling harder as the half wears on.
45 min...VA Walker cornerkick from left is short but he gets 25 yard shot on left that's caught by goalie.
47 min...VA player rolls ball forward from 45 yards and VA Whiteman rush in on break and rolls 20 yarder just wide left.
48 min...TS Saoucha has shot from 22 yards blocked and no handball is called.
49 min...VA Jahsua Mills blasts 25 yarder that's caught by goalie.
53 min...TS players cue up on edge of VA box but noone takes shot.
58 min...VA sub...Iezady replaces Kovacevic.
58 min...VA Mannella 30 yard freekick from left is punched by goalie away through box out middle.
60 min...TS sub...Goddard replaces Dimitriu.
62 min...TS Rivas is injured at TS 30 yard line.
64 min...TS sub...Jeyathilaka replaces injured Rivas.
65 min...TS sub...Wong replaces Sadoucha.
67 min...VA Jason Mills gets shot from right on right that deflects off defender.
68 min...VA Whiteman cornerkick from right is passed back for him then he puts player offside on chip.
70 min...TS Lewis 30 yard rolls from left is picked up by goalie.
73 min...VA Brandon Mills chips 25 yards from right that goalie catches and bobbles with
VA Whiteman pressure on left post.
75 min...A goalmouth scramble is cleared in TS box with goalie tripping over defender.
76 min...VA player's cornerkick from left bounces through box.
76 min...VA sub...Crosby replaces Brandon Mills.
78 min...VA Jarek Whiteman GOAL...VA Dena Iezady is centered pass from low cross
from left and he blasts 28 yard roller that goalie Lucas Birnstingl dives to save
but spills rebound and charging Whiteman shoots 7 yarder over him into net.
80 min...VA sub...Futoriansky replaces Whiteman.
82 min..TS Fordyce-Hlywka 30 yard freekick from left is caught overhead by goalie on right post.
84 min...VA player's cornerkick from right has VA Walker run it out of bounds.
87 min...VA Futoriansky cross from right end line is behind VA Jahsua Mills' head at 8 yards.
89 min...TS Fordyce-Hlywka freekick from left bounces over end line on right.
93 min...VA Yellow card...Goalie Gosciniak earns it for time wasting.
94 min...game ends 4:49pm.

Final Score:...Vaughan Azzurri........3.........Toronto Skillz........2....

Attendance was about 30. Vaughan is not known for having big crowds but today's 
weather was brutal. Last weekend I said it was very cold and windy so this weekend 
just repeat that weather and add an almost constant drizzle for we're in the 
middle of four days of this weather. Parkas were worn by everyone in this second 
weekend of May. The crowd only swelled at halftime when Vaughan 2005 Boys team 
played a mini game between the 40 yard lines and that brought them and an entourage 
of parents. After their demo was over they disappeared. I crossed the field to stand 
under the fourth official's canopy for the second half for some shelter. 

Skillz did not have a passable record last year and were beaten in their opening 
game last weekend 5-1 by North Toronto Nitros but played well enough today that 
I thought they might hang on for a tie. 

Skillz used a high press which was very successful against the 2016 L1O champions. 
There was a lot of pressure placed on the Azzurri defenders. Azzurri head coach 
Carmine Isacco was constantly yelling for his upfield players to come back and help 
out the defence. There were a few times when one defender had to make a key block 
or a Skillz forward would be sent in on a breakaway. It will be interesting to see 
if Skillz uses this tacticagain against a team not as good as Vaughan. 

Skillz switched Liam Cox to a starter on their game sheet replacing Nicholas Goddard. 
Goddard's been followed by me for a long time as I searched to find he was with 
Toronto Croatia in 2009 and Milltown FC in 2010. In League 1 Ontario he was with 
Durham United in 2014 in the league's inaugural year and since 2015 he's been 
with Masters. 

Vaughan has returning all three of the Mills brothers, defender/captain Joseph Amato, 
strikers Mario Kovacevic and Jarek Whiteman and now ex-TFC system midfielder 
Christopher Mannella who was the first League 1 Ontario 'Young Player of the Year' 
in 2014 when he was with TFC Academy and the league mispelled his name when they 
engraved the plaque on the trophy. He was playing as a defensive midfielder for 
this game.

Overall it looks like their roster is now completely independent of the York University 
roster from past years where they had some players dividing their time between 
the two squads. 

Referee Scott Bowman gave out only two Yellow cards (one was in injury time for 
the Azzurri goalie for time-wasting) in a game that was more wide open then rough.

It was sometime during this game that I found out the new cross Canada division 1 
soccer league had been approved so inside I felt just a little warmer so I could 
cover this game instead of groaning about the never-ending rain ruining my notebook. 
This could turn out to be one of those "Where you were when John F Kennedy was 
shot" moments.  (my answer: home after morning kindergarten).

While asking Jarek Whiteman to help me fill in an assist on one of his goals I said 
I'd just heard about the CanPL and asked if he would consider playing for them. 
Yes was his response to that and my follow up question 'even if it was anywhere?'  
I asked and I added if it was for a living wage. I always think of him when I think 
of the players for this league.  He is either 26 or will just be turning 26 this year.  
A scoring day like today should see him go high in the draft (if there is one) 
or be invited to tryouts if that's the way they fill up their rosters. I've watched 
him play since the first year of TFC Academy in 2008 followed by years on other 
CSL teams and the PDL with K-W United and the most recent years of League 1 Ontario. 

OK now pack up, with a detour home to pick up a new dry notebook and off to Scarborough 
to see the 9:00pm starting Masters FA Saints vs Ottawa South United Force game. 

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
twitter @RocketRobin01

Vaughan Azzurri starters

Toronto Skillz starters

Azzurri Christopher Mannella (4) and Mario Kovacevic (25) take opening kickoff.

Azzurri players work out short cornerkick.

midfield action

Skillz Alex Dimitriu (14) tries to dribble past Azzurri Jarek Whiteman (9).

Skillz Alex Dimitriu (14) makes through ball pass by Azzurri Devante Walker (8).

Azzurri Mario Kovacevic (25) dribbles between Skillz Nicholas Goddard (12) and Hakeem Lewis (19).

back to 2017 League 1 Ontario Men's index

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